After three rounds of both the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series and MGM Borgata Pacing Series, trainer Peter Tritton is pleased with where his horses are positioned in the standings. But he also knows there is still work to be done in the six-week events at MGM Yonkers Raceway.

The top eight point-earners at the end of both series’ five preliminary rounds qualify for their respective $200,000 USD added finals on May 9. Both events also have $100,000 USD consolations.

Tritton-trained Silk Cloud A is in second place in the standings of the Matchmaker Series, which is for older female pacers. In the Borgata Series for older male pacers, Tritton’s Mossdale Ben N is in a three-way tie at the top of the standings while his Sherlock N is positioned for a spot in the consolation.

“I’m happy with the three of them,” said Tritton. “I’m just hoping that it continues. We’re halfway there; we’ve got to go the other half now.”

Silk Cloud A, a seven-year-old daughter of Shadow Play-Modern Babe, has two wins and a third in the Matchmaker. She heads to Friday’s fourth round at Yonkers’ half-mile oval off a gate-to-wire 1:54.3 score last week and is the 7-2 second choice in the third of three $50,000 USD divisions.

She will leave from post six in a field of eight with Jordan Stratton in the sulky. Rocket Deo, leaving from post one with Jason Bartlett driving for Brett Pelling, is the 7-5 favourite. Rocket Deo is fifth in the Matchmaker standings.

For her career, Silk Cloud A has won 26 of 82 races and earned $594,525. In her most recent 18 races at Yonkers, the mare has hit the board 13 times, with seven victories and four second-place finishes.

“She’s been going good for a while,” said Tritton, who trains Silk Cloud A for owners Eric Good and David Kryway. “She can get around a half as good as any track. She’s got real good gate speed and she’s versatile. She can come from behind, she can do it from in front, she can come first-up. She’s very sound and she enjoys her work.

“She’s a nice mare. She’s got the ability and she tries hard.”

Silk Cloud A trails only Aardie B Miki N in the Matchmaker standings. Aardie B Miki N, trained by Per Engblom, is undefeated in her three starts and will sit out this week’s action.

Tritton, who won the 2016 Borgata championship with Bit Of A Legend N and the 2017 Matchmaker final with Mackenzie A, does not plan to take any weeks off with his horses.

“Unless something goes wrong, I’ve always raced through the series,” said Tritton. “It works for me doing it that way. The horses have never let me down. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. That’s all we can do.”

In the Borgata, Mossdale Ben N has two wins and a second in his three starts and is tied with Huntinthelastdolar and Coaches Corner for the No. 1 spot. Mossdale Ben N, whose second-place finish came last week by a half-length to Coaches Corner, will race in Monday’s second of four $50,000 USD Borgata divisions and is the 8-5 morning-line favourite with driver Stratton.

A seven-year-old son of A Rocknroll Dance-Mossdale Sue, Mossdale Ben N has won six of seven races at Yonkers since arriving from New Zealand. For his career, he has 14 victories in 50 starts and $270,064 in purses. He is owned by PJT Investments.

“He has surprised me a little bit,” said Tritton. “I thought he was a nice horse, but maybe not as good as he is. He’s a really, really nice horse. Hopefully, he’ll get in the final. He should now, I’d say, as long as nothing goes wrong.

“I wouldn’t swap him for any other horse in the series, I know that. But that doesn’t mean you’ll win it.”

Mossdale Ben N has raced from off the pace in all his starts. This past Monday, he paced his last quarter in :26.4 in a 1:50.4 mile that was the night’s fastest by four-fifths of a second.

“He’s versatile, but we’re probably not going to change tactics,” said Tritton. “I think he’d be all right in the front, too, but we brought him up this way. He’s got the speed to get them at the end. Jordan said he was great the other night.”

Sherlock N is 15th in the Borgata standings, but only 15 points from eighth. He finished fifth in his first two starts in the series, then was second behind Huntinthelastdolar this past Monday. The six-year-old son of Vincent-After Party has won eight of 28 lifetime races and earned $153,732. He is still after his first victory in North America but has finished second five times in 11 starts.

“He’s got a lot of ability, but he’s not quite as good on the half,” said Tritton. “If we work them together at home, he might even have the edge on Mossdale Ben, he’s just not as good a racehorse. But he’s not a bad horse. His run was very good the other night. He was closing hard on those horses. If they go hard, it really suits him.”

Sherlock N, also owned by PJT Investments, will compete in Monday’s fourth Borgata division and is 10-1 on the morning line with George Brennan in the sulky.

Racing begins at 6:45 p.m. at Yonkers. For free program for Friday's card, click here.

(USTA; photo of Mossdale Ben N winning on March 31)